


A Friend in the Shadows

by Justdumbfics



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Goth OC, I think it might have been with Tim, Magic Realism, Spoilers for The Magnus Archives Season 5, Witches and Warlocks, canon-typical uh everything?, does anyone have the braincell?, thats a shame, we stan gerry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:20:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28251531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justdumbfics/pseuds/Justdumbfics
Summary: Canon divergence & spoilers for the end of season 5! Don't read the rest of this summary if you're not past that!Shadows can't exist without light. The world has always had a way of remaining in balance. If the fears grow stronger, then so too do the powers that can fight them.AU where Jon wakes up in the hospital to find Gertrude had an ally.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 1





	A Friend in the Shadows

A tape recorder clicks on. 

Jonathan Sims was a good man. He was not the most…  _ present _ of bosses, too often occupied with being the victim of some misfortune or another. That, and, he was arguably  _ too _ present when he was around… stalking had never been considered a fantastic leadership strategy…

However! As a person, and more recently as a boss, Jon considered himself to be doing a decent enough job. When Martin had started recording poetry, he'd endured it. Even complimented him, on occasion. When Melanie had tried to kill their boss, which also threatened Jon's own life barely  _ days _ after he'd gotten back from a  _ kidnapping _ , he demonstrated his incredible capacity for empathy and his people management skills. He talked her down, saved their lives with nary a complaint. She was having a tough time, and he was a patient person! He'd even listened to everything Tim - angry, revenge fuelled, Jon-hating Tim - had said, and had taken him to the Unknowing. He was understanding about Tim's problems, and his goals. He'd been empathetic. Kind. He'd readily confess he wasn't the best boss, but he'd always thought he was at least a good person who was trying his absolute hardest.

Right in this moment, however, Jon decided he did not want to be a good person who tried his hardest. 

Jon wanted to commit murder. 

"Jonathan, please, I didn't see it!" Martin cried, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. 

They were in the hospital. Tim was dead. Daisy was probably dead. Jon had been out cold for 6 months, the institute was in need of a new CEO since Elias's chosen replacement had gone AWOL and Martin chose  _ now _ to tell him about  _ this _ .

"You didn't  _ see _ it." Jon seethed. 

"We don't all have your spooky seeing crazy-- magic--  _ ugh _ ! I didn't see it!" He huffed. 

Jon snatched the statement from Martin's hands, grateful for the fact he was probably physically incapable of murder in his current state. He glared at his assistant. 

"Did you bring a tape recorder?"

Martin nodded, offering him a small plastic bag. 

"There's a, uh, change of clothes in there, too… um." He swallowed. "I'll leave you to it." A pause. "I… I'm really glad you're awake, Jon. I'll catch you up on everything properly, after you've uh… read this one." 

Jon watched his assistant scurry out, feeling the smallest pang of guilt. He sighed. These 6 months had probably taken a toll on Martin. There was a lot Jon needed to catch up on, but… this was incredibly important information that his assistant had just  _ kept on his desk  _ for  _ months _ . 

Jon took a deep breath, moving to click the tape recorder on before he realised it was already recording. Typical.

"Statement of Rita, concerning her role as a Guardian for Humanity."

He could hardly believe it. Gerard had said the only supernatural forces were those of Fear… had he not known what this Rita person knew?

He shook his head. There was no point in theorizing before he'd even read the thing.

"Statement in the form of a letter addressed to Gertrude Robinson. Statement begins." 

_ Gertrude, _

_ I hope you are well, my old friend. I'm writing to you because it seems your 'son' has crossed paths with my Nate. I'm not sure if you're aware, but in what appears to be an entirely serendipitous event, the two were both attending the same (probably terrible) punk rock concert. I don't know the details, but my Nate instantly feels an affinity towards fellow goth types, deny it though he may. The encounter left him relentlessly pestering me to get in touch with you. He is insistent that we take allies wherever we find them. I remembered your words to me, all those years ago, and thought perhaps it was about time I gave you the missing puzzle pieces you have been hunting so tirelessly. I can only apologise that it took a kick from my son for me to see the wisdom of those old words. I hope I am not too late.  _

_ I will explain everything I can, but only in as much detail as is safe for me to write down. I cannot tell you everything, I hope you understand. _

_ You were right, of course, when you sensed I could command a power not entirely human. I told you I was not an avatar of any of the things you hunted, and I did not lie. I am something else entirely. The common person would call me a witch. But that's not quite right. I am 'The Warlock'.  _

_ The Fears can only touch our world, however there are great sources of energy which exist here by their own right. Most humans, and most animals, cannot command or access this energy, of course. However, one can train their body and senses to be receptive to it. It's not dissimilar to how one can become an Avatar. It is considerably more difficult, and serving the Fears will definitely grant greater power much faster. However, the Fears are known to eventually devour you should you touch them. The powers of our world will not.  _

_ My family are the only humans to have ever mastered the art of the Warlock. I would know if that changed; though the energies we can access are vast, only a small portion of them can be 'loaned' to us humans. This is still fantastically adequate for our purposes, but should a second Warlock tap into it I would definitely feel my pool shrink in size. There is a second family you should be aware of; they have mastered the art of the Witch. I believe I have made contact with their heir, who has confirmed that they believe themselves to be the only family commanding that pool of energy as well. Our families tend to only train a single heir, as one Guardian commanding a large amount of energy has proven more successful in stopping the Rituals than an army of less powerful Guardians.  _

_ This brings me to that final piece of the puzzle I know you've been missing: the Witch and Warlock have not been active over the last twenty or so years. This is the reason you have had a larger number of disasters to handle than your predecessor, and they are the 'missing warriors' you have been so often told of. I handed my abilities as Warlock over to my son. Traditionally, I would continue my role until he was strong enough to take over. However, with my illness pushing me closer and closer to the end of my days, I have been unable to continue fighting. Nate is a prodigy, but he is not ready. Not yet. _

_ I mentioned I have met the heir to the title of Witch. They are the same age as my Nate, and an orphan. I fear that the progress in understanding and development of the art of the Witch has been thrown back decades, as their heir is learning everything from books and journals. Another prodigy, no doubt. But again: not ready, not yet. Especially with no real teacher.  _

_ I'm sorry to have been so secretive. Even now, I am sure you can sense I've been very selective with my words. We cannot risk Avatars of the Fears learning our craft. If they were to take command of our energy, we would be unable to fight them. We keep the identities of our heirs closely guarded, and our locations change frequently. We keep our secrets close to our hearts, and only pass them to those we trust completely.  _

_ I am trusting you, Gertrude. My son bears the title now, and it is his wish that we join forces with whomever we deem to be on the side of humanity. He trusts you, and I trust you.  _

_ I do not, however, trust that Institute. I'm sure you understand that. As such, I will not be attaching a return address or any contact details. I think you'll be able to find me, should you wish to discuss anything, or should you need my assistance in your good work.  _

_ I will call upon you if I need to, as well. We have both independently succeeded in stopping atrocities, though sacrifices were made. I can only imagine how much more we could achieve together. _

_ Best wishes, _

_ Rita  _

Jon heaved a sigh.

"Statement ends. There are, of course, little to no supplementary notes. There isn't even a surname for this Rita person, no surname for her son, and no names at all for the Witch she mentions. She did say her son knew Gerard… perhaps there's some hint I've overlooked in one of the statements involving him? He did deny the existence of any  _ good  _ powers when I spoke to him, though… protecting their identities, perhaps? It seems they're very careful. I suppose with my powers, had I known to ask about it I could've compelled him to answer me and break any promises he may have made… I understand his hesitation. It's frustrating though. This woman probably has as much information about ending the forthcoming rituals as Gertrude did… I could really do with speaking to her." Jonathan sighed, rubbing his face. "Well, at least reading the statement seems to have helped my health. I'm feeling better. I should probably apologise to Martin and find out what's been happening at the Institute in my absence… end recording." 

The Archivist flicked the tape recorder off. 

**Author's Note:**

> That's the intro, I hope you liked it!
> 
> Pls kudos & comment if you'd like to see more of this! I'm planning 6 chapters total, with the next couple already written, but I'm really not sure if this is a me-brand thing that literally no one else wants to read :'D It's also just nice knowing you're not screaming into the void lmao 
> 
> Until next time!


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